Unsheathed

In the end, only Chen Ping’an, Pei Qian, and Yao Xianzhi were able to witness the rising sun cast its first rays of light upon Screen Illuminating Peak.

Pei Qian widened her eyes and leaned over the railing as she stared at the large sun leaping out from the East Sea. It was as if she were staring at a large circle of gold that she wanted to grab and keep for herself.

Yao Xianzhi exclaimed in astonishment for a short moment before turning his attention away from the rising sun. After all, he had already witnessed such sights countless times before. Back in his hometown in the border regions, the beauty of moonlight scattering over the large rivers and the starry sky hanging over the open plains was no inferior to the magnificence of viewing the sunrise from Screen Illuminating Peak.

However, the prodigious young boy couldn’t help but feel a little surprised. How was Pei Qian able to stare at the sun for so long? Didn’t her eyes hurt? Chen Ping’an casually jumped onto the railing and sat down. Yao Xianzhi had wanted to do this right from the very beginning, yet he hadn’t dared to do so because his grandpa and Big Sister Jinzhi had been present last night. Afterward, he had felt too embarrassed to do so because Chen Ping’an, someone whom he respected and admired immensely, had been sitting at the stone table.

Now that Chen Ping’an had taken the lead and set an example, however, Yao Xianzhi hurriedly followed suit and jumped onto the railing to sit beside Chen Ping’an. They gazed at the East Sea together, and it was as if Yao Xianzhi’s mind started to broaden as well. He became filled with hope and anticipation for his future life in Mirage City.

When leaving Screen Illuminating Peak, Old General Yao’s face was filled with annoyance and regret. He grumbled that Chen Ping’an didn’t even wake him up before sunset, causing him to miss the magnificent sunrise. In other words, he had spent so much time and effort climbing this mountain for naught.

Chen Ping’an ignored Yao Zhen’s childish complaints, and the old general immediately ceased his grumbling after Yao Jinzhi said, “Grandpa, are you still not satisfied after we made an exception and allowed you to drink last night?”

Yao Zhen and Yao Xianzhi, the grandfather and grandson, were the closest to Chen Ping’an, and they both knew that farewell was imminent. It was almost time to say goodbye, so it was inevitable that there was a feeling of melancholy in their minds.

However, both Yao Zhen and Yao Xianzhi were martial artists and generals accustomed to the biting wind and coarse sand of the battlefield. Thus, they could simply push the sadness of farewell to the back of their minds. After all, there would always be an opportunity to reunite and drink in the future. Purposely feigning sadness like a little girl would cheapen the occasion and make it laughable instead.

They finally arrived at Peach Leaf Jetty located outside Mirage City. The convoy of the Yao Clan came to a stop.

Chen Ping’an was carrying a lush green bamboo bookcase on his back.

Yao Lingzhi had her saber hanging by her waist.

She boldly cupped her fist in gratitude and said, “Young Master Chen, I wish you a safe and smooth sailing journey to the north! I wish you prosperous martial fortune!”

Chen Ping’an nodded with a smile before warning, “One cannot be impatient when cultivating martial arts. The more talented you are, the more important it is to not solely focus on breaking through to the next tier. When it comes to fist techniques, a martial artist should aim to unleash and retract their fists as they please. If you want your body to be nimble but your fist intent to be powerful, then you need to develop a strong foundation.

“Like dripping water being able to penetrate stone, you need to view the stone as your greatest enemy while treating the dripping water as your martial arts true intent. Miss Lingzhi, you can definitely reach great heights if you’re able to keep calm and stay focused.”

Yao Lingzhi humphed coldly and replied, “You’re only a little bit older than me, yet you’re speaking in such an experienced and mature manner.”

However, as the young girl turned around and walked away, there was a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Yao Zhen didn’t say too much, and simply told Chen Ping’an to take care. The old general had carefully put away the bamboo brush holder inscribed with the sagely essay. He planned to treasure the bamboo brush holder as if it were a family heirloom.

Yao Xianzhi had shamelessly asked Chen Ping’an for a calligraphy work last night, and he treated it as if it were the most valuable treasure in the entire world. Yao Xianzhi also didn’t say a lot today, and simply said that he wished for Chen Ping’an to visit Mirage City in the future.

To everyone’s surprise, Yao Jinzhi asked to accompany Chen Ping’an for a while as he walked to Peach Leaf Jetty.

Yao Xianzhi whistled in amusement, yet Yao Lingzhi immediately elbowed him in the waist, causing him to bare his teeth in pain.

Yao Jinzhi had keen observation skills, and she noticed that the jade tablet hanging by Chen Ping’an’s waist was slightly different from before. Chen Ping’an had flipped it around today.

Between Riding Crane City and Peach Leaf Jetty, Chen Ping’an had worn the jade tablet such that it always displayed the characters “Passing Down the Teachings of the Ancestral Hall.”

Today, however, the seal script characters “The True Self is Cultivated on Peace and Tranquility Mountain” were displayed.

A thought occurred to Yao Jinzhi, and she took a long and deep look at Chen Ping’an, the young boy who had traveled from Northern Jin Nation to the capital of the Great Quan Empire.

She made some polite small talk that didn’t seem extraordinary in any sense. However, she gave off a feeling of sincerity and scholarly intelligence, making her appear especially attractive and moving.

Chen Ping’an accepted her sincerity, yet he also turned it down at the same time. Perhaps only the two of them could truly understand the complicated nature of their relationship.

In the end, Yao Jinzhi casually told Chen Ping’an about the character “Zhi,” which existed in the names of everyone in her generation in the Yao Clan. As it turned out, a fortune teller traveling around the border regions had been struck by misfortune and come across war and chaos many years ago. The fortune teller had eventually been saved by her grandpa, Yao Zhen, so he had performed a divination for the Yao Clan.

During divination, the fortune teller had said that an incredible person had once existed among the ancestors of the Yao Clan and that his kindred character was “Zhi.” Moreover, this character had a strong affinity with the generation that Yao Zhen’s grandchildren belonged to, and each person from that generation would be able to share in the fortune of that ancestor if they had the character “Zhi” in their names.

This character could improve the fated opportunities of this generation, and someone might even reach unfathomable heights thanks to the blessings of this ancestor. Yao Zhen hadn’t thought much about this, and he had simply treated the character “Zhi” as a good omen. Thus, he had included this character in the names of Yao Jinzhi and the other children. There were more than twenty people in his grandchildren’s generation, and all of them had the character “Zhi” in their names. Even the side branches of the Yao Clan were no exception. Yao Zhen didn’t show any favoritism.

Among this generation, Yao Zhen’s three grandchildren, Yao Jinzhi, Yao Lingzhi, and Yao Xianzhi, were the most exceptional.

Chen Ping’an fell deep into thought after hearing this explanation.

In the end, Yao Jinzhi performed an elegant and beautiful curtsy to Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an cupped his fists in reply. After hesitating for a moment, he eventually decided to say in a sincere voice, “Miss Jinzhi, apart from helping Old General Yao come up with strategies and take precautions against ill-meaning individuals in Mirage City, you also need to take care of your own safety. This might come across as offensive, but if you come across an insurmountable obstacle in the future, there’s no harm in asking Old General Yao for help. You can ask your grandfather to make the decision. After all, there’s no need to take responsibility for everything and face all of the hardships by yourself.”

Yao Jinzhi removed her veiled hat in a rare display, giving a beautiful smile yet not saying anything. She simply looked at Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an cupped his fists again, bidding farewell to the young woman.

Yao Jinzhi was a beautiful maiden, yet she surprisingly cupped her fists as well. Her glistening eyes were filled with a peculiar glimmer as she said loudly, “Mountains unchanged and rivers never dry…”

Chen Ping’an had no option but to finish the saying, “We shall meet again as long as time stands.”

Yao Jinzhi hadn’t drunk any wine today, yet her cheeks immediately flushed red at this moment.

In the distance, Zhu Lian smiled with squinted eyes and remarked, “Kindness from beautiful women is the most difficult to accept; the affection in their gaze is the most difficult to farewell.”

Sui Youbian completely ignored everything that was going on as she stood there with her sword strapped to her back.

Chen Ping’an caught up with the others. Pei Qian had her cotton luggage sack slung diagonally across her back, and she was once again holding the hiking pole in her hand. There was no more horse-drawn carriage for them to take, yet Pei Qian was filled with eagerness for the upcoming journey. She wasn’t afraid of traveling by foot at all. Otherwise, wouldn’t she have developed all those calluses on her feet for nothing?

Chen Ping’an waved goodbye to the convoy of the Yao Clan.

Yao Xianzhi, sitting on horseback, stood up on the stirrups to vigorously wave at Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an and the others continued to travel north. As they walked, Chen Ping’an couldn’t help but sigh with emotion and say in a soft voice, “It’s a shame that it didn’t snow. Otherwise, we could have climbed to the top of Screen Illuminating Peak again to gaze upon the snow-covered Mirage City renowned for looking like an immortal realm.”

Pei Qian smiled and quipped, “Then why don’t we wait until it snows before leaving?”

For the past two days, Pei Qian had glued herself to Yao Jinzhi and called her Big Sister Immortal the entire time. She had tried her best to flatter Yao Jinzhi, someone whom she viewed as a beautiful woman who didn’t dare to show her face. In the end, Yao Jinzhi had sure enough given her a farewell gift, placing it inside a small wooden box.

Among the presents were a few Good Fortune Coins from a past dynasty which Yao Jinzhi had spent a lot of effort to obtain. In addition to these, there was a small wood carving of a ganoderma. Add to that the other trinkets, and there were a dozen or so items altogether.

In the beginning, Pei Qian had simply wanted to swindle a few taels of silver from Yao Jinzhi. That would have been perfect, and Chen Ping’an wouldn’t have stopped her either. Moreover, this amount of silver wouldn’t be too much for her to handle. However, Yao Jinzhi had ended up giving her a very difficult problem.

Pei Qian hadn’t dared to accept the gift on her own considering its value, so Yao Jinzhi had eventually held Pei Qian’s hand and handed the wooden treasure box to Chen Ping’an, explaining that the contents inside were rare and unique but not especially valuable. As such, she hoped that Chen Ping’an wouldn’t turn down the gift.

Chen Ping’an had initially wanted to turn down the gift or simply choose one item from the box, yet he had ultimately been left with no option but to accept it on Pei Qian’s behalf following Yao Jinzhi’s stubborn insistence. He placed the wooden treasure box inside his bamboo bookcase, and Pei Qian had absolutely no complaints about this. Instead, she viewed this as completely natural and justified. The wooden treasure box was fairly big and heavy, after all, so was she meant to throw it into her luggage sack and carry it to Heavenly Palace Peak or whatnot? Wouldn’t that tire her to death?

As Pei Qian encouraged Chen Ping’an to wait until it snowed at Mirage City, she delightfully thought about the prospect of another farewell. Perhaps her wish would come true and she would truly receive gold and silver this time!

Chen Ping’an smiled and suggested, “Then you can stay in Mirage City by yourself?”

Pei Qian adjusted her luggage sack and gripped her hiking pole tightly. Being the unyielding fence sitter that she was, she announced in a righteous voice, “I suddenly feel like making haste and continuing our journey is the most important thing!”

Chen Ping’an turned to his four subordinates and said, “I didn’t ask the Yao Clan for warhorses, so we can only travel to the immortal ferry station on Heavenly Palace Peak by foot.”

Zhu Lian immediately smiled and commented, “Walking can improve one’s bones and tendons.”

Drifting through the river near Peach Leaf Jetty was a black-awning boat located extremely far away from the convoy of the Yao Clan.[1] Temple Master Du Hanling slowly retracted his jade-like hand and said to a young female cultivator beside him, “Deliver a message to the duke and tell him not to provoke Chen Ping’an. This person is a direct disciple of Peace and Tranquility Mountain’s ancestral hall, so to say nothing of the Great Quan Empire being made to suffer, even our Golden Summit Daoist Temple will risk complete destruction if we dare to kill Chen Ping’an.”

The female cultivator immediately stood up and left.

Another female cultivator remained, and she continued to brew tea for the temple master. She possessed a decent cultivation base, after all, so this allowed her to have beautifully pale skin.

Temple Master Du Hanling, a Nascent Tier earth immortal, sat there quietly with an apathetic look in his eyes. “We failed at the final step.”

Due to the extremely rare nature of jade tablets from the ancestral hall of Peace and Tranquility Mountain, only those from relatively large and powerful immortal clans and sects would recognize the jade tablet hanging by Chen Ping’an’s waist.

Of course, most ordinary earth immortals at the Golden Core Tier or Nascent Tier would definitely have some knowledge about these jade tablets from Peace and Tranquility Mountain’s ancestral hall as well.

After all, Daoist Nun Huang Ting had brought a world of pain to quite some forces many years ago. She had only settled down during the past sixty years, and nobody knew whether she was cultivating in seclusion or whether her old ancestor had instructed her to remain in Peace and Tranquility Mountain.

Trying to provoke Peace and Tranquility Mountain at this moment would be even more suicidal than trying to provoke Parasol Leaf Sect or Jade Tablet Sect.

Du Hanling naturally didn’t dare to provoke any of them.

Moreover, he had only made a small transaction with Duke Gao Shizhen and the true mastermind behind the duke, one which was only an added bonus. Killing Chen Ping’an would naturally be ideal, but it wouldn’t matter too much even if they failed to kill him. This wouldn’t affect the grand plans of the Golden Summit Daoist Temple.

However, it was entirely possible that Duke Gao Shizhen was jumping up and down and cursing right now.

In any case, did this matter to Temple Master Du Hanling and the Golden Summit Daoist Temple?

Mortal matters were trifling, so how much more important could the matters of emperors and officials be?

Du Hanling sat there and pondered for a moment. The situation was chaotic, and some pawns of the Golden Summit Daoist Temple had already assumed their positions and taken root. That being the case, he should also attempt to take another step forward and upward. Otherwise, his current cultivation base was still far from enough.

As for whether Gao Shizhen would truly lose his mind and frenziedly hunt that young boy, this had absolutely nothing to do with the Golden Summit Daoist Temple which had already removed itself from the situation.

“Temple Master, should I secretly warn Chen Ping’an?” the young female cultivator asked.

However, she quickly answered her own question, saying, “That would be gilding the lily. Doing too much is just as bad as not doing enough.”

Du Hanling smiled and shook his head, correcting her, “It’s not that we shouldn’t do this, but rather that the time isn’t right yet. Moreover, you won’t be the one to play the role of a good person—this will have to be done by Shao Yuanran.”

The female cultivator smiled and said in flattery, “Temple Master’s wisdom is truly unmatched.”

Du Hanling dismissed this with a smile.

1. A black-awning boat (乌蓬船) is a kind of wooden boat with a round awning, made from bamboo and painted with black oil. Such boats are unique to the Jiangnan region. ☜